Well, The OZ has something to say about that
by mace.ember.221
Summary: The witch is defeated. But the OZ grows restless. When it finally decides to take action, who will be its victim? But the girl who cannot help but to find trouble, DG. eventual DGxCain. Ambrose/Glitch x Azkadellia.
1. Az

New tin man. I'm sorry I couldn't resist.

* * *

Azkadellia sat across the room while she watched her sister. Her sister was engrossed in a book, as usual. But as per usual, it was about magic, she could tell by her sister's twitching fingers and her engrossment in the book.

"Where do you get those books?" She couldn't help but ask.

"The library. Where else, Az?" Came the cool reply. Az rolled her eyes. "You know where." She said cryptically. Az's eyes raised into her hair line.

"So, my dear sister, did you know our very own Glitch is getting a surgery?" DG said loudly as they passed Glitch, glitching of course, with their arms entwined.

"I did not." Az replied playing along.

"You didn't know, Azkadellia? I shall tell you of it." DG giggled as she pushed Az into Glitch.

"You didn't know about my surgery?" He caught her with ease, his 'rhythm' put to good use.

"Mind telling me about it?"

"Anything for you." She giggled. DG settled down into the grass and pulled out another book. This one was slightly more technical but she needed the information. She flipped open the book and didn't listen to the conversation as she had heard the story a million times, as did Azkadellia, but she loved his stories, so she listened again.

"Well, when you were evil…" Az loved the beginning the best, in all honesty. She liked the honest Glitch. She felt that after the surgery, they weren't going to be friends anymore, despite DG telling her the opposite. DG told her that Glitch/Ambrose was very forgiving and wouldn't blame her at all. She hoped it would be that but prepared herself for it. "You made your minions take out my brain. Well, I started glitching so people called me Glitch. Your sister, saved my from the munchkins and I helped her defeat the witch from you so we could save all of OZ. Now that we have, we are getting order back from the witch's reign and now I am going to get my brain back. And I'll be smarter." He always tells her the same story and her response is always the same.

"If you don't have a brain, how can you use such big words."

"I don't know…say…have I told you this story before?"

"Nope. It's brand new." Then she'd lean and kiss him on the cheek and giggle as his cheeks heated up. "You're a great storyteller."

Then she'd drag me as per always, to the castle, where I'd sit down and read whenever she stopped. She eventually stopped trying to talk to me.

* * *

New story. Hope you like it. Review. i am still working on my Harry Potter fanfic. dont worry. i'll alternate.


	2. Jeb

I rather like this story.. its really good in my opinion. But I am the author and my awesomeness transforms into beautiful works of fanfiction. XD

* * *

Jeb watched as the princess rose from her bed when called and she looked longingly at the jeans she loved to wear so much. She pulled out a light green day dress and some slippers and walked into the bathroom.

She brushed her hair leisurely. She pulled on the dress and waited for the maid to pull on her light corset strings until she couldn't breathe. Then she knew she was in for the day. Her bruisees hurt like hell from the corset. Her sister said that her body wasn't used to it. Az knew that pain must've hurt like hell. The Witch didn't wear corsets, just leather, it was pretty easy to breathe in. Her mother never made Az wear corsets but she never made DG until now.

Az didn't know why her mother was making her do all this stuff. Not forcing her to go to princess lessons, letting her sleep in from a whole night of princess duties. It wasn't fair. And what was more disturbing was that her sister just let her. Oh, she knew that her sister hated it but she couldn't figure out why her sister wasn't rebelling.

Jeb watched Az memorize her sisters movements. He didn't blame her. He was thinking the same thing, but he never said anything as the princess didn't. He liked DG as a person. She had fire. Reminded him of his mother, but he liked DG more than his mother, personality wise. His mother loved and loved but had no passions. She loved Cain and Jeb but didn't have a passion for drawing or fixing things that were broken, or befriending every person she'd ever meet or disappear.

Wait, disappear? Oh great. She was gone again. This really had to stop. If his father ever found out about this he'd kill his father. He could hear it now.

'_Jeb.' He would state calmly. That was when Jeb got worried. 'How do you mean you lost my princess?' _

Yes, his. He always said his. It was never our, or the. Always my. _My _princess.

He found her sitting in the garden on a white stone bench with _big surprise here!-_a book. Jeb was shocked too. So much he rolled his eyes at the rustling of a turned page.

"You really need to tell me when you run off."

"You really need to stop sounding like your father." She said in the exact tone, a smirk gracing her lips as she read the page. Her fingers traced over an important line. Her left hand that was laying next to her clenched the stone bench.

He was surprised it didn't break.

"What is it?"

"More answers than questions."

"Whooo. Look out Mystic Man, we got a cryptic princess here."

"I can't let more problems fall onto you, Jeb. Your father must've been proud to learn you're head of the younger princess' security detail. Must be in the Cain blood."

"I know you miss him."

"Of course I do, Jeb. He was my best friend for a while. He was the second person I met."

"You know what I mean."

"And you know what I mena when I say you're wrong. There's a certain line I don't cross and that includes romantic entanglements with the Tin Man. Not because of his title or his age. There are reasons I'd rather not discuss."

"Give me one."

"He left when I needed him most." He was silenced. He knew what she meant.

That was when the worst one hit. The castle had been breached. Jeb hardly got to her in time. She was shaking and crying out for Cain, but Jeb was there. They'd bonded. They never told anyone about what happened. Jeb only know because he was there. It was horrible and then people who did that deserved to die. They were locked up but DG made sure that they died, slowly. And they did, about a week ago. But that hardly stopped the nightmares.

* * *

Mkay. The next chapter. What chu think? I like reviewers. I acknowledge you. I promise. XD ESPECIALLY sweetpea1225. (see that right there? that's acknowledement. You're jealous of Charlene right now.) it's okay. We're all jealous of her friend, ME OF COURSE.


	3. Healer

Az and DG were needed in the room for comfort but DG didn't want Az there because of her romantic feelings. She was relieved when a Raw type person, turned out not to be Raw. She felt horrible about it but she didn't want Raw edging into her life when she had gotten all of her lies in place and working. He'd ruin everything with the truth. She had specifically asked the Queen to send Raw with Cain when he left to ensure his men's safety. They were scouting the whole Outer Zone for Long Coats lingering after the witch's reign had ended.

DG held Glitch's hand through the surgery even when he was unconscious because it was her duty as his friend, to hold his hand through the whole surgery. He made it through okay and he woke up kind of weak.

"Princess?"

"Hello, Glitch. Or is it Ambrose?"

"Doll, it's Glitch."

"Sorry." She said playfully. "Was just making sure." She looked at the healer.

"Operation went smoothly. You may ask question."

"Did all the nerves and skin come together okay? Will there be scarring? Does he still need the zipper? Is he going to be in pain for long? Is there pain medication for him?" The healer laughed lowly that reminded her of Raw and that hurt deep in her heart.

"Everything work fine in head. Scarring, yes. It's good, he remember that he live through something bad. Apology to sister, she good now, bad before."

"She had a witch inside her."

"Understand Princess anger. I'd be angry. Please no mad at Healer."

"Of course not. I trust you." She smiled kindly.

"No zipper. That was a mark for all to see and make fun of."

"Oh, I see. It was a mark to humiliate him in public."

"Yes. Pain not long, medicine yes. By bed." She saw it.

"I'm sorry for all my questions. Don't tell the Queen."

"Promise. If you promise to hear one thing I see."

"Okay."

"Queen dark. Evil presence, not possess her. It herself. She be mean to princess on purpose. She want suffer."

"I know."

"You know? No stop?"

"I cannot. Not until I get enough of my magic."

"You use no magic."

"She took most of it and I am using it to make it seem like we're still healing Glitch." They both glanced at the sleeping form. "Don't tell Raw what you told me. I know he's here. I just hope Cain isn't."

"No want to see Cain?"

"No."

"Angry at him?"

"No, scared of him. Scared he'll find out. He'll get really mad. I don't want her or my father to get hurt. No matter how much they hurt me."

"Good person. Good queen. Kind. Funny. Able to be tough. It's okay to let down shield."

"Thank you."

"Welcome for fixing Glitch head." He stopped at the door. "I find other princess?"

"Yes, please."

Then Az was went in and she went to Glitch's side and started talking quietly. DG looked at them for a minute before going out into the hallway and leaning against the door and she looked up at a familiar hat atop a familiar face.

"Hey there, Princess."


	4. Trouble In Hell

She couldn't breathe. But somehow she managed.

"Hey there, Tin Man. Jeb is over there managing Security Detail."

"I Know." He frowned. "Don't you want a hug?"

"I'm wearing a corset. I don't want to hug anything other than a pillow." He snorted with laughter. At least she still had her wit. Jeb came closer.

"Princess, you need sleep?"

"That'd be nice. I will see you tomorrow, Mr. Cain?" He frowned at the formality. His son smiled sadly at him and shook his head at his questioning eyes. He held a hand at the princess' lower back, guiding her. As if she needed it, Wyatt thought to himself. But she didn't fluster, push him away or settle into his embrace. Just simply let be led.

Raw came up next to him.

"No hug for Cain?"

"Nope. Not one."

"Something wrong. She hide it deep. Doesn't want Raw touching her. Know his power."

"Something up with the Princess?"

"Something wrong here, very wrong." Az stepped out and saw them and smiled sadly. She walked over and whispered.

"Do not speak of DG around my parents at all. Or in hearing distance of anyone. A lot has happened since you left."

"Like what?"

"Not my place."

"It also wasn't your place to kill numerous people but that never stopped you before."

"Hey!" Glitch yelled. His hand grabbed Az and he pulled her into an embrace. Her back was against Glitch's chest and he had an arm wrapped around her and one braced against the doorway. "No talking to my princess like that."  
"It's okay." She laid a hand on his arm. He kissed her head and bent to her ear.

"You sure, sweetheart? I got my rhythm back." She turned and kissed him once on the lips.

"I'm sure."

"Again, Mr. Cain. Not my place."

"fine." He huffed.

"Raw happy for two."

"Thank you Raw." Az said kindly.

"DG never ignored me before." Cain said. "I don't like it."

"She's been like that for a while. There's nothing you can do but wait for her. She doenst like to be pushed."  
"She never did."

"Now Jeb fights for her. He's happy to do it. Ozma knows why,"

"He fights her battles?" They nodded. "Why?"  
"She orders him to. Pulls rank. A lot has changed, Cain. A lot." Az said slowly.

DG couldn't breathe when she got to her room.

"Permission to enter, Princess?"

"Permission granted, get your ass in here." He came in and withdrew a knife and cut the corset. She ran in and changed and came back out and laid down on the bed and the younger Cain rubbed soothing cream on her ribs where bruises formed. Blood started to get drawn from the corset.

"I'm sorry you have to go through this."

"This puts a damper in my plans, you know?"

"I know."

"I can't keep the nightmares a secret now. And I know _he's _visiting tonight. With big news. I could feel it all day."

"Not good?"

"Definitely not good."

After a few minutes of polite conversation, Jeb let DG rest. Her eyes closed and she was pulled into a world where she recognized the surroundings.

"Hello." A deep voice sounded.

"Hi." A voice chanted.

"We want tin. We want man. We want Tin Man." She woke up her arms burned in agony that she screamed at the top of her lungs.

Far away from her room, his DG alarm went off. Cain didn't like the vibe he was getting.


	5. Scream

Jeb was in there even before she started screaming. He heard her thrashing. He got the healer that she talked to earlier. Then DG screamed and he cursed himself for his luck. He knew his father had heard that scream. And soon enough, Cain walked down the hall at a ridiculously fast pace not intending on stopping. Jeb stopped him.

"What is wrong with you?"

"You're not allowed in there, Dad."

"The hell I'm not. I'm her bodyguard." He said coolly. Jeb exhaled a breath, it hurt to say this.

"No you're not."

"Excuse me?"

"You left. She needed a bodyguard, told me to tell you you're fired essentially. She almost died when you left. Not from anguish or tears or any of that mushy gushy shit, but because someone grabbed her, pulled her by the hair. He covered her mouth and bent by her ear as you were riding away, without a look back. He said 'Where's your bodyguard now? You're corrupt sister scare him off because he really knows why his precious Adora is dead? Pathetic.' He almost raped her, you know. She called for me because she knew I was close."

"He said that?"

"Yeah. He was put to death a week ago. Look dad, there's a lot that's changed, all of it involving DG. She doesn't want you near her. Or Raw. Give her a couple days. I know it hurts, but she needs to be alone."

"JEB!" DG screamed. "GET AZKADELLIA NOW!" Jeb winced.

"Shit. This isn't good. If she needs her sister, FUCK!" He took off running before barking orders. "He doesn't get through."

Cain couldn't believe his son and DG. They didn't want to see him. Az rushed by with an apologetic look. He heard Az gasp.

"DG…" She said in a comforting voice.

"I don't want it. ANY OF IT!"

"I know." All he heard was DG's sobbing and Cain felt completely powerless and beaten.

"She's been crying herself to sleep since you left. That night really scared her. She surrounded herself with guards, but when she's safe, she hides from them, but only then. She's careful."

"But…"

"She sprained her wrist. That's all. She fell, needs a healer, but she isn't going to die. She is strong. She'll be okay." Cain grunted.

In the room, DG woke up from her sleep and screamed. She looked down at the new tattoos she acquired. It was moving across her skin. She could feel the pure magic running through it. That scared her. She hadn't felt magic in a while. It felt good. Damn good.

Then the pain happened. Damn it. She could hear the Cain men talking. She smiled as she knew that Cain was fighting to come to her rescue. Unfortunately he couldn't help her. Right now. Damn it, the stupid OZ wanted her to bond with Cain. Why couldn't it be anyone else? Any one but Cain. Any one.

"GET AZKADELLIA NOW!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. Jeb said something and barked an order at his men. She was half hoping that Cain would burst through the door and embrace her like she dreamed of. But wishful thinking. She'd made sure that he wouldn't get in her defenses even to the extent of hiring his son as her bodyguard. She'd definitely done her homework.

Az came trotting in. She looked at her sisters tearstained cheeks. She immediately ordered the maid to leave under the glare of not speaking of this incident outside of this room. She sat next to her sister and DG immediately embraced her.

"Shh." That commenced the heart-wrenching sobbing.

"I didn't want this. ANY OF IT." She sobbed.

"I know, I know." Az felt her heart wrench at her sister's obvious pain.

"It's not fair."

"I know." She heard the Cain's arguing about something but didn't leave her sister until DG was sleeping against her stomach, with Az trailing her fingers through her long black hair.

Az lifted up her sisters loose fitting shirt and gasped at the bruised skin and the blood marring her beautiful skin. Damn it.


	6. Deception

DG met with Jeb the next day.

"Keep him away. I can't have anyone touching me. The OZ found me a suitor."

"Who?"

"I have an idea, but if he doesn't touch me, the easier my life will be."

"Agreed. Including my father?"

"Particularly your father."

Jeb walked up to his father and smiled broadly, reminding him of Adora wanting a child.

"Hi, Dad."

"What do you want?"

"What makes you think I want something?"

"I know that look."

"From mom?"

"Yes, from your mother."

"It's okay to miss her. She's dead, you've mourned."

"I know that." He snapped.

"I think we should spend some quality time together. You know, father-son time. It'll be fun."

"Define fun."

"You'll get to know you're son." He could see Cain's restraint waning. Then he tried his secret weapon. "DG said it'd be a good idea to get to know you."

"Really?"

"Yeah. But if you're going to be all weird about it, I don't know."

"Okay. We'll go out to the stables."

"Great. Thanks, Dad."

"No problem."

DG watched as Jeb walked back to her room. She stuck her head out and he inclined his head in acquiesce to her request. She knew that it was done.

She felt herself relive what happened before this morning's weird fest. She got the shock of her life.

_She was in a room, it was dark. The room was dimly lit but she shone brightly as she breathed. She looked around in confusion. _

"_Princess Dorothy Gale. I have been expecting you." _

"_What? Who are you?"_

"_We are one." _

"_Who's we?" _

"_We are The Outer Zone." _

"_What? You have a material form?"  
"No but we choose one."_

"_Oh." _

"_My name is Micheal. I am the spirit assigned to you as a guardian and translator. The OZ is upset with your family. They want you to take the reins of the Queen." _

"_What? I can't be Queen." _

"_You can and you will." _

"_Nope." _

"_You are strong and you are learning the ways of our land. We dislike your mother's reign. We need a queen that is compassionate to both sides of our land. We have the dark and the light. The Papay fields and the Forest of Dark and the Deserts are dark and you thrive there. You know you do. Caves, dark hallways, when you wake up in the middle of the night and sit in the dark- you're in your element. You prefer the dark. But you also need the light to function. You love Finaqua, water, flowers, and light. You don't thrive in it but you need it. You recognize the balance and you agree with it. You are optimistic but pessimistic in the perfect mixture. You see the conversation from both sides and then voice your opinion. You love deeply and passionately. You never stopped loving your sister but you did stop loving your real parents after you realized what they did." _

"_Yes." _

"_Well, I am here to remedy that. We have separate spirits that will come to you in your dreams. I am the first and most frequent spirit. You know that we demand a Queen to have a king." _

"_Yes."  
"We have found one. You know him. He is a tin man." _

"_Cain?" _

"_We are in agreement." _

"_Hell no!" Micheal seemed taken aback by the coarse language. "Cain is still mentally married to his wife. I can tell." _

"_How?" _

"_He always stares off into the distance waiting for her to come back. He stares at his wedding ring after looking at me for more than a second more than he believes is respectful. He still yells Adora's name in the middle of the night. I promise that he still loves her."_

"_But is he mourning her or not letting go of her death?"  
"I don't know and I don't care. I am not interfering into his life just because you want me to be with him." _

"_You are stubborn. I can see why they'd say I'd have trouble. Well when you wake up, things will be different." _

"_Really?" _

"_I am giving you the first piece of your magic soul back. I found it hidden in the witch. You know why. I need'nt discuss that with you." _

"_Okay." _

"_Your body will be different and you'll be in pain. Each piece of your magic soul with trigger a different feeling. Not all of them will be like this, some will be happier, some sadder. You must find the pieces before time is up or you will die." _

"_What do you mean time's up?"  
"You have one month." _

"_Jesus Christ." _

"_Nope, just Micheal."  
_

She smiled fondly. Stupid Micheal.

DG could hear Az tossing and turning. She knew that Az was being sepearated from Glitch. She walked into the room that her sister was occupying with her magic. She laid a hand on her sister's head and withdrew the memory unknown to her sister. DG shuddered and reappeared in her room. She laid down in bed and closed her eyes to relive her own sisters nightmares. She took all the blame upon herself.


	7. Her Name Sake

DG tossed and turned in her bed. She was losing sleep rapidly over these nightmares.

_Micheal stepped into the light. _

"_Welcome back, young princess." _

"_Yeah. Great to be back." She muttered sarcastically. _

"_Glad to see your spirits are up." _

"_That was sarcasm." _

"_oh." He looked like a dejected Glitch and that made her heart twist. _

"_Sorry. I'll lessen the sarcasm." He smiled kindly at her. _

"_Bring forth Dorothy." _

"_Dorothy?" _

"_Yes, your ancestor." _

_She was beautiful. She wore a white dress with blue checkered dress over that. She looked like a picnic. She was beautiful though. Her shoulder length hair was parted into two pigtails and tied by two blue bows that matched her dress. A dark brown dog sat at her feet. _

"_This is Toto. MY name is Dorothy." _

"_You're my namesake." She smiled kindly. _

"_Walk with me." She waved her hand and Oz in the olde days came into view. " I was here quite a long time ago. This was the OZ I knew. Kind, munchkins were kind little children. I think that changed a lot even when the Witch possessed your sister." _

"_You didn't have the munchkins that kidnapped?" _

"_No. These were the munchkin." DG's eyes popped outo f her head. _

"_I think I prefer my munchkins. I mean, the munchkins from my time." _

"_They are yours. You are the future Queen, Dorothy Gale. DG, you have a pure heart and soul. You are the candidate for the Queen of the OZ. It chose _you. _You should be thankful." _

"_I know but why me? I just came here a little while ago and I have no idea the customs of this country."  
"That is what you have advisors for. Ambrose or Glitch, whichever he is, can help you with the political stuff and Cain can help you with the domestic customs. You can ask Jeb more _intimate _questions if you don't want to discuss it with Cain." _

"_Why would I want to ask Cain anything? And why not choose my sister?" _

"_It is not your sister's destiny to be queen. She knows that. Your mother would rather her be queen because she listens and obeys her commands more easily than you do. You're a free spirit, DG." _

"_Yeah." _

"_DG, we have bestowed one of your parts of your magic soul. It will help you do what you have been doing since Cain left." _

"_You know?" _

"_Yes I do. And I pray with my whole being that you wouldn't have to go through it but alas, my pleas are ignored for the greater whole of OZian society. I just really hate taking you away from your sleep. You lose sleep when you're here instead of sleeping and just entering your dreams." _

"_It's okay."  
"You'll get sick eventually. From it all." _

"_Good thing Raw is here, then isn't it?"  
"Raw." She said as if contemplating something. "I like him. He needs to channel his emotion receptors. Tell him to meditate." _

"_Okay, Ms. Dorothy." _

"_Grandma D please." _

"_You're pretty cool." _

"_I lived in Kansas." _

"_Really?" At her nod. "Cool." _

"_You are going to wake up. Tomorrow will not be a good night. You are going to be visited by someone you really don't want to see." _

"_Who?" _

"_Adora Cain." Her eyes watered and Dorothy bowed her head, feeling sorry for her descendant. She wouldn't wish what was going on in her granddaughter on anyone. No matter how much she hated them. _

"_I'm sorry." _

When DG woke up, her tattoos were swimming on her skin, causing her immense pain. She grabbed the leather arm gloves that Az gave to her.

"Well, I don't care." Wyatt said, copping an attitude.

"I don't know why anyone bothers with you, hard ass."

"Well, why do you?"

"You're my father. I love you. But I can't stand you right now. Either apologize for making Azkadellia cry, or you'll have DG to deal with. I'm done." Jeb walked out his father's room and slammed the door and assumed his role as protector of the princess. He nodded to the guards outside her door.

"Have they started?" He asked, forgetting his previous argument with his father or the fact he was standing 20 feet from DG's door and could hear him very well.

"ADORA!!" Came the scream from inside the room. Jeb froze and his eyes got as wide. The guard shifted uncomfortably. Jeb sat down. She is going to get visited by his mother? Oh, shit. He ran a hand through his hair.  
"Sir, we can't let you through." Jeb looked up and froze. It was Wyatt Cain in the flesh.

"Why the hell not."

"Orders from both the Princesses and Mr. Cain."

"I am Mr. Cain!"

"No. You're Cain. I meant young Mr. Cain."

"Dad I have direct orders from the Princess. You are not allowed to see her when she's sleeping. We have two guards stationed at her balcony doors, a maid in there with her. We have these two upstanding citizens out here." They straightened up when mentioned in pride that they were protecting the princess. "She's safe, Dad."

"How long has this been going on?"  
"Since the defeat of the witch."

"That long? I've been here for two weeks."

"She didn't want you to know."

"ADORA!" She screamed sobbing. He could hear the heartbeat of his father. His eyes widened and he bolted to DG's door. The two guards tackled him to the ground. Cain was knocked out. Jeb sighed. Why, oh why, couldn't he just follow orders. Oh that's right. The reason was on the other side of the door. DG. His father couldn't think straight let alone think logically around her. He could hear the maid whisper reassuring words to DG as she fitfully slept. Jeb sighed. Another long night.

At least he didn't have to suffer through the nightmares and the visions.


	8. Breakfast at Gale's

Cain paced his room as soon as he came to. He had no idea what his princess was up to. What was she thinking? He threw up his hands in frustration.

Let's go over the facts.

One she was having nightmares that included his wife recently. Erm, ex-wife. Yeah. He glanced at his bare fingers. He took off his ring. He didn't feel an ounce of guilt. He had mourned her for 10 years.

Two she was in pain. And he wasn't there to hold her through the pain. Which was unacceptable.

Jeb knocked on his fathers door. It swung open and was met by a livid Cain.

"Dad, you're overreacting."

"Am I? Do I have the right after I find out that my princess has been in pain?"

"If you had been told, would you have come? Or left her to the likes of Robert again?"

"He died, Jeb!"

"There are others like him. I heard him boasting about what he did to her. In prison." He tried a different approach. "She needs you, Dad. I see it everyday. And you need her too."

"No, I don't." Denial.

"I've never seen you smile at anyone like you do at her since Mom died." Cain scoffed but didn't deny it. "She's in pain and I'm under orders to keep you away."

"Yeah I know."

"She's having breakfast with her parents. If you corner her, she'll have no choice but to answer your questions. You didn't hear it from me." Jeb left his father in a thoughtful silence.

Cain grabbed his hat, gun and put it in its holster. He slammed the door behind him, shaking the door frame.

She wasn't going to get away from this shit. Something was going on in that pretty heads of hers and everything be damned, he was going to figure it out.

He stormed down to the sitting room where the Gale family was having tea and breakfast. Az was in a pale purple dress and looked utterly bored. She had changed since the witch left her, she was quite nice actually. She loved her sister constantly. They were quite close when they were younger. Her mother was eyeing DG and Ahamo was basking in his wife's presence. Then Cain's eyes fell on DG. She was sitting on a cushioned chair, her hair in soft waves, pulled back lightly. She was wearing a pale green dress and he could tell she was wearing a corset. Then DG he knew would never wear a corset unless the leverage was pretty big. His eyes narrowed at her parents. What did they do?

"Morning Mr. Cain." Queen Lavender Eyes said delicately. He restrained rolling his eyes. Where did DG get her lack of delicacy from? It certainly wasn't from her mother. He looked at the younger princess, her eyes narrowed accusingly. He knew that she knew that he wanted to talk to her. He bowed to the royal couple and kissed Az's hand. He then took DG's gloved hand and pressed a kiss to her clothed hand while maintaining eye contact. They glared at each other while he released her hand.

Az shrank back in her seat at her sister and the Tin Man's heather glare, unresolved sexual tension and obvious attraction. She rolled her eyes at her parent's obliviousness.

"We need to talk, Princess." He finally caught her attention. Her eyes widened and he smirked knowing he cornered her.

"Mr. Cain," He winced at the formality. "We will speak after breakfast." She set down her tea cup and moved further back, moving her arm back so he could see her rubbing her ribs where the sorset crushed them.

"What about, darling?" Cain didnt miss DG's hand clench and Az's glare at the tea cup. Was it just him or did the tension just raise exponentially?

"Mr. Cain has returned from his vacation. He's a Tin Man at heart. He wants to make sure the security is as tight as he left it. To see hwo many I escaped." She joked at the end. Az smiled at her spirit. God knows she missed it.

"Darling, you promised." The Queen said fragily.

"I have honored that agreement." She said coldly. Cain was startled by that tone beofre but Az lowered her eyes in submission. "Mr. Cain-after the breakfast." She said in a promising tone, not looking at him. He bowed and left the room. The Guards assumed their position and he walked briskly away from the room. Jeb caught him.

"Do you see now?"

"What happened?"

"I don't know, and she won't tell me. But it was something big. She doesn't speak to her parents unless she is summoned."

"Well, shit."


	9. Lash Out

DG was escorted to her room by Jeb and she saw Cain waiting for her. She tried to run away. Jeb held her.

"You need to do this, Princess." She huffed. "I can't do this for you, this time." He pushed her in and closed the door. She kept her distance.

"Well, Princess. You've certainly changed."

"You left, I didn't."

"Yeah I did and I am sorry for that."

"Doesn't change anything about what happened?"

"What about that guy who attacked you?"

"Upon other stuff."She inhaled quickly. "Look Cain, I'd love to hash it out with you, but do you have your knife?"

"Yeah…" He said slowly not really knowing where she was going with this.

"Cut my corset." He flipped out his blade and cut where the corset was. She inhaled as she felt her ribs go back to their normal position. The color returned to her face.

"You can't breathe in corsets?"

"Nope." She said and rifled through her closet. She changed her clothes right there to a cotton dress with no corset.

"That's really not proper." He said while shielding his eyes.

"It's nothing you've never seen before."

"But you're a princess."

"I still have the same basic structure as every other woman." She sighed. "I know we're not virgins here. I mean Jeb's here. Get a grip."

"I'm not even going to ask what that means."

"Other side reference. Well, it was good talking to you! Bye!" She said attempting to push him to the door. Note attempted. He wouldn't move. She grunted in frustration.

"Well, Princess. Me and you are going to hash it out." He looked around her room and saw the lack of color. "Where's your art?" Her eyes widened. How could he notice that?

"Princess?" He touched her arm. She withdrew and he could see that she was going to explode. Things started shaking. Her perfume exploded and filled the room with a scent that he knew DG hated.

"You ruined everything! I was all fine until you come back and then the dreams!"

"What dreams?"

"NO! You came back. I was lonely, but I wasn't making up lies at the drop of a hat. Do you know how long it took me to line up my escape route? HOURS! DAYS! WEEKS! And now your following me everywhere! And Adora keeps talking to me. I DON'T WANT TO TALK TO HER!" She said screaming in frustration.

"Adora's dead!" He yelled.

"I KNOW! All these people keep coming to me and telling me to be queen. The OZ tells me they've chosen me. I can't see my Robo-Parents, I can't see my sister in the privacy of my own room. I can't do anything!"

"They won't let you see your parents?"

"NO! AND NOW YOU TOUCH ME! DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE DONE!??" She screamed at him. He grabbed her and she dug her head in his shoulder.

Jeb was standing on the other side listening to her scream. Good. It's better to get it all out than to have it all in.

"How's she doing?" Isabella came next to him. He kissed her on the lips.

"She's yelling at Dad."

"He deserves it. He left her to deal with all of it alone."

"He didn't know."

"It's your father, you can defend him." She pressed a kiss to his lips and left.

DG was bawling her eyes out and being cradled by Cain.

"It's okay, Darling. I got you."

"I know." He rubbed her back in soothing circles as she cried non-stop. He was glad she blew up at him and not someone who couldn't handle it. He maneuvered them over to the bed. He put his hat on the pillow and lay down with DG on top of him. Her face was against his neck, one hand was curled around his neck and the other wrapped around his middle. He tightened his grip around her lithe body. He dug his nose into her wavy, black hair.

"It's not fair." She whined pathetically. He chuckled deep in her ear. She smiled.

"I know it's not, sweetheart." She blushed at the term of endearment but he couldn't see it.

A few hours later, Jeb opened the door after some silence. He figured it was safe after the silence. He smiled at the sight that met his eyes. He knew it was good that he locked them in there, even for their own good. They were wrapped around each other. He tilted his head so he could find out where one started and the other began. He heard a gun cock. He turned and saw his father sleepily pull a gun on him. He smiled.

"Relax, Dad. It's just me."

"Oh."

"Yeah. I was just checking on the princess, resume your sleeping."  
"I'm awake." He said drowsily. The princess shifted closer, pressing herself to him. Cain's eyes drifted closed and his breath evened out.

"Yeah. You totally don't need each other." Jeb muttered sarcastically.

* * *

Well i won't have my computer for a week or more becuase i am getting the screen replaced. So i will update when i can.


	10. Adora

Cain woke up to the sun shining in his eyes and felt a weight on top of him. He looked down and saw black hair. DG's scent invaded his senses. He looked down on her and smiled at her relaxed face. He felt her body tense and he felt pulled through a vortex.

Welcome. A voice boomed.

"Hi?"

"You will protect the future Queen."

"Okay?" Cain was thoroughly confused. The voice changed to a feminine tone that he recognized immediately.

"Wyatt, you must understand your purpose. To protect DG." Adora said happily.

"Adora?"

"Hello, Wyatt."

"It's so good to see you."

"The feeling is mutual. But there are other pressing matters."

"Okay…"

"But first you must understand. You touched DG's bare skin and the OZ found you compatible with her. You are her best friend, right?"

"Yes."

"And you wish to be more?"

"What…no!" He denied. He really didn't want to have this conversation with the spirit and image of his deceased wife about another relationship he was contemplating.

"Don't you lie to me, Wyatt Cain. I know you better than you think."

"Yes, Adora."

"Now, DG is the main topic of discussion around here. This place is kinda in between the living and the deceased. All souls come here to determine if they shall stay here or go to heaven or hell. I was allowed to stay here because of my personality and that DG knew me, which was interesting since DG just arrived here a couple years. She knew me because of you."

"Yeah."

"It's okay if you stopped wearing your wedding ring. You are so loyal it is unbelievable. You should've taken it off a week after you got out of the Tin Suit. But no." She added sarcastically. He rolled his eyes good naturally. "Wyatt…" She said seriously.

"What?"

"A lot has happened since you left. A lot. With DG. Find a man called Alex Forge and he will give you a book. Read it when you're not around DG. That will tell you everything that you missed. Alex was an old bodyguard of DG's and quit after an incident. I cannot share that with you under the Princess' orders."

"Is everyone ordered to keep stuff from me?" He asked throwing his hands up in exasperation.

"Yes. Because she doesn't want you to get mad at people. Which is inevitable when you find out what happened. It was horrible. The reason that he quit, the incident was horrible." She shuddered. "I cried." Wyatt widened his eyes and knew the incident had to be big.

"What happened?"

"Orders, Wyatt." She said smiling upon him. "I have missed you but I am dead, Wyatt. I need'nt your affection any longer."

"Yeah, but I'll never stop loving you."

"I know but you have a big heart. You need to let other people in. You are going to find that you will live longer than other people because of DG's magic. It's linked to you. She'll tell you your basic spells you can do with that level, once she gets enough magic back."

"I have magic?"

"In a couple days you will."

"Wow." He had magic now. Just like that and it expanded his life span and that was already set a little further than usual because of the fact he had eight years in a tin box it stopped him aging. He was younger than he would have been if he had lived outside the box, granted he lived that long with Zero running about.

"DG feels uncomfortable around me." Adora mused.

"Why?" He asked her because it seemed that she had all the answers.

"She feels like she is threatening me by her mere presence. She doesn't want to step over that line between friendship affection and the kind we had. She doesn't want to overstep that boundary. So she takes precautions."

"What kind of precautions?"

"Keeps orders in place for you to stay away. Which Jeb disobeyed, directly. She will attempt to have you transferred…She will use every dirty trick in the book to ensure you don't interfere with any of her plans."

"She should know better than to do that. She can't push me away."

"Well, she can't trust you."  
"What?"  
"People who were very close to her have lied to her. Toto, Az, Glitch, her parents, her Robo-Parents. She just feels better to not have anyone close to her. But OZ choosing her to be Queen complicated her plans."

"It chose her to be Queen? Seriously?"

"Yes, she can handle it. With your help." Adora's eyes focused on a figure approaching at a decent distance. "DG approaches. She has finished her council with the OZ and Dorothy, her ancestor."

"_The _Dorothy?" Adora chuckled at his surprise.

"Yes. DG and Dorothy get along perfectly. They are alike in personality. The Tin Man of her generation was in your position. That is a story for a different time. I have an important message for her."

"How do you know?" He was simply curious.

"It is my job up here to look over her parents and other people in the castle for the protection of the future Queen. I have discovered something and the one in charge deemed it important. I am ordered to tell DG immediately."

"Oh."

"Hello, Adora." DG said quietly.

"DG I have a message from the Wizard."

"Oh, okay."

"Ahamo and Lavender Eyes are planning a revolt against your rebellion forces." DG's eyes widened. "Activate Plan 4E." DG nodded.

"My thanks to your sources, Mrs. Cain." She bowed and walked away.

"See?" Cain was watching after her as if he could somehow determine what was going through her mind by watching her walk."

"It's odd."

"Well, she will awake soon. We don't have much time, you'll wake up with her. Remember, I don't blame you for my death and I want you to move on. Find Alex Forge. Think about her side before you lash out at her in anger." Her image faded and he found himself back in DG's bedroom. She gasped and rolled off him.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to bring you, Tin Man."

"It's okay."  
"At least you got to see Adora again."

"I moved on, you know."

"I know but I know you also miss her everytime you look at Jeb. You wish you could have been there when he was a child and when he was growing up." His eyes widened at her perceptiveness.

"JEB!" She yelled. He barged in.

"Princess?"

"Guess who's planning an attack on our forces? The Royal Couple. Your mother enlightened me. Get my most trusted men and get the plans for the escape from Glitch and Az. If they tell you to go tell them you are under orders of Princess DG." He nodded smiling and went to carry out her orders. She slid out of bed gracefully and pulled out a pair of jeans and a shirt and marched into the bathroom. She came out and pulled her hair up and tied it in a ponytail. She grabbed a leather jacket and swung it on. She grabbed a bag from her closet and threw it on a chair.

All the time, Cain sat there watching her. He watched with admiration, fascination, bewilderment and curiousity.

"What's Plan 4E?"

"It's an escape plan." She smirked at his dumbfounded expression.


	11. Escape

"A what?"

"An escape plan? Haven't you heard of those before, Tin Man?" She asked sarcastically.

"Of course." He spluttered. "Why do we need one of those?"

"Well, if we want to keep my life intact, which I believe is the truth, we need to get out of here by nightfall."  
"Why?"

"The revolts against the crown are my men. I am their leader and the Queen and Prince Consort would go after me. Again." She sighed. "I still have the scars from last time." She grumbled.

"Scars?"

"Never mind. I just got tortured for an hour."  
"Just got tortured? By who? I wanna rip them limb from limb!" He boomed. She smiled sadly.

"How did I know you were going to say that? Well, he quit after so no matter. He lives in Central City. It wasn't his fault, he was doing his job. He thought he would be torturing convicts and Long Coats. He wasn't expecting to torture the crown princess."

"He didn't?"

"No, but my parents ordered it so whatever. The pain's gone."

"I'm going to kill them."  
"Wow. You got mad at that? I didn't even tell you everything, just one incident." She grinned at his snarl.

There was a knock on the door.

"It's Jeb."  
"Enter." She said. He smiled at her outfit.

"Well, glad to see you're in normal clothes and not those stupid dresses."

"The ones without corsets aren't bad. It's the ones with corsets that I want to set on fire." She smiled at her best friend.

"Me too. Well, here are the plans." He handed her a roll of papers. "Az and Glitch will be visiting you in a few hours. Your parents have no conferences with you today." Cain could see the relief in his eyes

"Perfect. Thank you Jeb." He hugged her suddenly. "What's with the sudden invasion of personal space?" She said in surprise, awkwardly patting his back. It was apparent that she wasn't used to physical contact. That wasn't like the DG he remembered. But she let him touch her like they used to and vice versa. He didn't understand.

"I need you to be okay." He whispered. She hugged him.

"They can't break me that easily." She smiled at the kiss he pressed to her forehead.

"Go get the others. Raw and Isabella. We'll need both of them. Someone has to keep you company at night." She pinched his cheek and dodged the swipe he made at her. Cain noticed his furious blush. "Aw look, Cain. Your son is blussshinnnggg!" She taunted. Jeb huffed and stormed out, slamming the door behind him. She laughed. She flicked her wrist and put up a silence spell.

"What was that about?"

"Nothing. I was just making fun of him."

"Sounds like flirting to me." He said in a jealous tone.

"With Jeb?" She laughed. "He's like my brother, or my best friend. He's too young for me anyways and he's been courting our head healer, Isabella for a year and a half. They're so close to becoming engaged, I can tell." She smiled and spread the plans over the desk. "Why? You jealous?" Cain glared at her and ignored that question, focusing on something else.  
"He's courting someone?"

"Yeah. He didn't last long. He has his daddy's looks but not his coldness. Women swarm to him like flies. He was attracted to Isabella and her spunk. Isabella likes me." She shrugged and hummed under her breath.

Cain came behind her and looked over her shoulder. It was impressive. They were hourly plans for an escape plan. It had DG's style written all over it but she had a lot more thought behind just hiding from her lessons. She had serious reason to get away. They were coming after her. Cain hated to admit it but she was right, she needed to get away from here as soon as possible.

He was surprised that she didn't say anything about his closeness. Maybe she was comforted by it like he was. Ozma knows how much he missed her smell, the trouble she caused, her hair, her blue eyes that held so much innocence but not naivety and the feeling that he got whenever he was around her. All he wanted to do was just wrap himself all around her and kiss her into submission. But he knew he couldn't. There was a lot that had happened since he left. Maybe leaving for two years wasn't such a hot idea. But something kept coming up and he was forced to stay for that long. Was that her parents? Or was it even DG to keep his arrival prolonged? He had no idea. But he didn't blame DG for anything that involved her parents. He realized that her parents probably had a lot to do with the fact that the fire that once burned behind her eyes was almost gone. There was alittle more since she blew up at him but not as much as he remembered.

"JEB!" She let down her shield long enough for him to hear. He entered the room at her urgent call. "Get Anderson to retrieve Tutor by nightfall. I will need his help through this." He bowed and went to do her bidding.

"Anderson?"  
"He's one of my men that works in the dungeon. Tutor was jailed two months after you left and mother gained control."

"You and your sister are supposed to be in control." He was so wrapped up in his thought of DG and her parents that he didn't realize two people arrived.

"We see how well that worked out." Az said sarcastically. Cain turned at the sudden voice and pulled his gun on the intruders, only to realize that it was her sister and the Royal Advisor. He pulled it away with a sigh. Already he pulled a gun on someone. He blamed DG. She was a magnet for trouble. Sometimes he wondered why he kept coming back to her so much. Well, there was no time to debate that now.

DG smiled and ran to her sister. She pulled Cain along with her, begrudgingly. He didn't blame Azkadellia for anything that the witch did. She was as innocent in all of this as DG was. But that didn't mean he didn't blame her for the fact that DG is in less than perfect condition than when he left her. He blamed a lot of people for that. But mostly himself. He needed to work on this blaming himself for everything wrong thing he had going on.

"Did you tell your darling fiancé?" DG asked excitedly, practically bouncing up and down on the heels of her feet.

"Yes." Glitch answered, wrapping his arms around Azkadellia's waist and nuzzled her neck from behind. DG aww'ed.

"Cain! Look, do you notice the glow?!" She grabbed his arm excitedly when he stood next to her.

"She's pregnant?" Cain asked shocked. He would have never notice it until DG pointed it out to him.

"YEAH! And I knew before she did, isn't that exciting?" She said really excitedly, pulling on his arm.

"Oh yeah, super." He said sarcastically.

"Oh, Az. I am so happy for you!" She said forgetting Cain's sarcasm. Az smiled.

"I know, Deeg. You told me like four million times." She smiled at her little sister.

"That child is going to be spoiled rotten." Az smiled lovingly and rubbed her not yet swollen stomach.

"We actually came here for a reason." Glitch said. DG grinned at him.

"Okay. Go." She said at him, crossing her arms leisurely.

"I will talk to Cain." Az said. DG nodded at her sister.

"DG, I fear you'll need me." Glitch started. Oh god. Here he goes. He's going to give me a mirror and tell me that 'I will be there for you whenever you need me except –insert a million reasons here-' He feels guilty that he wasn't there mentally when she needed him.

And on cue, out came the mirror. "Here is a mirror. This will help you communicate with me whenever you need me. Except when I'm sleeping, or with Az, or with the Royal Couple, or doing my duties and making inventions to better the Ozian life…" He trailed off.

"I get it, Glitch, Ambrose. Whichever one you are. I am not even sure." Glitch grabbed her in a hug. "Definitely Glitch right now." She muttered.

Az was about to talk to Wyatt Cain and she finally had his attention. She summoned a tub of some kind of lotion.

"When you start your journey, DG will be in pain. She hasn't been able to breathe in a while. This salve with help with the pain from the corsets that didn't even fit her that Mother made her wear."

"Why didn't you stop it?"

"I couldn't. I have as much power as DG here." At his confused expression. "AKA none." His eyes hardened. "Cain I know we haven't gotten along very well, but DG needs you and I need DG to come back alive. I have lived too many years without her to die now."

"I understand."

"There's a stone. The emerald. The one the witch had?" He nodded his knowledge of it. "It disappeared after the witch was defeated." Cain's eyes widened.  
"When it appeared the first time, the witch fused with it. It wasn't how it was supposed to happen. DG was supposed to get the Emerald. But she heard the witch's infusion and let go of my hand. Her dark magic overpowers her light when she had her magic. That scares my mother. You have to understand. My mother is not the best person. She never was. I don't know how we came from her. Ahamo just goes along with it. I don't think he agrees with what she does exactly. But he does follow her instruction. DG is more powerful than my mother. My mother sucked all of DG's magic out of her body by force. I was held across the castle and I heard her screaming." All of the blood drained from Cain's face. "What happened her while you were gone is serious." He nodded knowing that Az was dead serious.

Later DG and Azkadellia shared a tearful goodbye. DG entrusted Azkadellia with Glitch and he promised he would protect her. Which she hoped he would live up to that. Isabella appeared next to Jeb, holding his hand, fingers entwined. Her lips were swollen.

She skipped over to them and gave them both a run down of what was happening. Isabella didn't understand why she was going and confided that to DG herself. Isabella didn't see DG as a princess, but as a person.

"Why am I going, DG?"

"Other than the fact that you treat me like a person, not a princess? I need a girl there!" Isabella laughed. "I will need a medic. Raw can heal but only basics. I need someone who can help me. I don't know what getting my magic back will invoke but I want you there in case it is extremely painful. It was when I got it taken away."  
"You had it ripped from you?" Isabella asked incredulously.

"Oh hello, Raw." Isabella watched DG obviously avoid the question. Isabella looked at Jeb. He hugged her.

"I'm glad you're going with me." He said honestly. She laughed into his shoulder.

"Me too. I don't have to worry about you dying." He squeezed her tighter.

In the end, she had plenty of backup. Jeb, Isabella, Raw, Cain and Tutor were all going on her little venture. She was thankful that Tutor was okay. Tutor apologized profusely for her mother's behavior. DG really missed Tutor. He was like a older brother figure that knew all about the real world.

The guards helped them sneak out along the way. They went out down a hallway that DG opened with her magic and led them down. She lit a light to guide them with a snap of her fingers. She nodded to a guard who opened the door to the crisp, fresh night air. It was about midnight when they got out of the castle.

Freedom. Was the thought of DG's little posse, herself included.


	12. The Witch

Jeb and Cain sort of led the 'expedition' and Raw came up to where DG was walking.

"DG? Why no trust Raw?" The viewer looked genuinely hurt. DG's heart broke.

"Raw, I trust you. It's just I have been through so much pain; it hurts to think that you didn't come. None of you did. It'll just take me a while to get me back. I don't mean to hurt me. I am just so used to repressing my emotions these past years. I love you, Raw and that will never change. I love you too much to let you feel my pain. I know what I made you feel when I was hurting. But here I'll give you a little smidgen." She grabbed him suddenly and hugged him, skin to skin.

Raw gasped and pushed her off.

"That only little?" He asked in awe.

"Yeah." She said sadly.

"So sad and hurt. So betrayed. Heartbroken. Agony." He looked at her. "Worse feeling?"

"Yes, Raw. That's why I don't want you touching me. It's dangerous for you and me. I don't want you to know what happened until Cain finds out. If he finds out then I know we're a safe distance from the castle. And not affected by my mother's spell."

"What spell, Princess?"

"The spell that the Queen set up to not find out about anything that involved me. The abuse or anything. Jeb and Isabella don't know anything. Toto knows a little but not enough to help you guys. Guess you'll have to wait." She smiled at the collective groans.

"Hope Princess get better." Raw said.

"You just being here is enough, Raw. You and Cain both. I need you two." She said. If only they knew how true that was.

A hour after walking, DG walked up to the front of the group.

"We need to stop in that forest over there, one of my pieces of magic is there. You can hang out in the forest. We'll make camp or you can take one of the horses tied there and ride into town." She said to the small group.

"Horses?" Cain said surprised.

"She prepared for this, Dad." Jeb said proudly of his charge. DG smiled. Then she sobered.

"What's wrong?"

"I have to go talk to the spirit of the witch. And I really don't want to."

"Don't then." Cain said in an obvious tone.

"I have to if I want to get my Magical Soul back." She reminded him none-too-gently.

"okay…" He agreed begrudgingly.

DG stepped into the middle of a flat clearing that she had chosen for this expedition.

"I hadn't planned as many passengers. I only planned on four. I didn't anticipate Cain and Raw to come back. Ever." DG closed her eyes and three tents appeared. "They come with cots and stuff." She shrugged.

"Excellent." Tutor congradulated. He was proud of her spirit never wavering, despite the Queen's tries.

"Thank you. Cain," She addressed the Tin Man. "You'll share with me. I have a feeling that you wouldn't feel I was safe with anyone else."

"Damn straight." He marched over to her and hugged her tightly. "I'm sorry any of this mystery abuse that happened to you, happened to _you_, sweetheart." She blushed at the term of endearment. Unfortunately he saw it this time. "You like that name." She tilted her head.

"No one's ever called me it before, Cain." She said quietly. Cain opened his mouth but DG beat him to it. "Cain, can you get some wood? For tonight." She looked up at him with those huge blue eyes wide with innocence that he was so fond of and grumbled as he walked out of the campsite.

"Raw. You can share with Toto. He might be in dog form mostly, so I hope you don't mind."

"Raw no mind." Raw was happy that DG still loved him. "DG still friends with Raw?" He asked timidly.

"Of course Raw." She zipped up her sweatshirt and made sure no skin was visible and hugged the viewer. Raw sighed into the embrace. "You'll always be my friend. I am not mad at you. When I said I never expected you back was because my Mother said that I wasn't going to see you or Cain ever again if she had anything to say about it."

"DG scared we died?" Raw asked.

"Yes, I was very scared that I wasn't going to see youa gain. Cain left willingly. But you were summoned to your Guild. I understood. But Mother kept you there. I was scared I was never going to see you again. Now tell me…You meet anyone special?"

"Yes. Name is Alea. Wife. No cubs. Miss her much. We talk with mind. She wants to meet you."

"Maybe she could live at the castle. Or you could go back."

"She want to be at castle. No like other viewers. Too Nosy." He explained.

"Understood. It's no problem." Raw smiled broadly.

"Much thanks." DG smiled in reponse. Cain came back into camp with Raw telling DG about his wife.

"What you talking about, Princess?"

"Raw's wife, Alea."

"Oh, yeah. I heard plenty of her." He said disinterested.

"Cain likes hearing about Alea." Raw pointed out. Cain huffed. Damn viewer.

"I love hearing about her. She sounds very nice."

"She is. Hears stories about adventures. Want to read you much." Raw said with a laugh.

"Well she can try when we get out of this mess." She winked at him playfully. Cain watched as the fire in her eyes got a little brighter as she talked with Raw more. And he saw that they were helping her.

"Princess?"  
"Yes, Mr. Cain?"

"You want to lay down?" He noticed her eyes were drooping.

"The witch wants to have a council like now."

"We better get you to bed now."

She nodded sleepily. He carried her, bridal-style into the tent they were occupying and set her down on the bed and pulled her sneakers off and let them fall wherever they landed. He peeled her leather jacket and threw it on his cot. He let her cuddle under the blankets. She grabbed his hand as he went to leave.

"I thought you were going to die. I told this to Raw and I thought you deserved the same respect." She murmured sleepily.

"What?"

"My Mother told me I was never going to see you or Raw again, so I should have stopped clinging to that hope."

"I am going to kill her."

"No, you're not."

"What is this about magic?"

"I do not know. I need to talk to the Witch before anything,"

"Can she do anything?" He asked running a hand through her hair affectionately. She smiled at the obvious affection.

"No. You talked with Adora, right?" She smiled at him through droopy eyes. She really needed sleep. They shouldn't be talking right now.

"Yeah."  
"She's in spirit form. She can't hurt me or make me do anything. I'll be on my guard if it means that much to you."

"You always mean a lot to me." He pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"No matter how much trouble we get in, I am glad you're here, Tin Man."

"Me too, Princess." Then she fell asleep and saw in her expression that she got pulled into the spirit world.

He walked out of the tent and saw the expectant faces of the rest of their group.

"What?"

"Is she okay?"

"She's fine. Just going to conference with the Witch. She's going to be in Spirit form. That's where she's been going in her dreams. She usually ends up with nightmares about it. But she needs to do that."

"Okay." Jeb exhaled his breath at Isabella's comment. Jeb was anxious at what his father found out about his princess.

"But I gotta go into town real quick and pick up some clothes for me and some supplies. Watch over her, Raw?" He trusted the viewer to know when she was tossing and turning.

"Yes." Raw answered.

"Thank you." He walked over to the three horses that were tied up. He chose a white one. He smiled at it. DG had told him that on the Otherside, Princesses fell in love with Knights in Shining Armor riding on white horses. He looked back at the tent that she was resting in. He got on the horse and rode into town.

Well, you have slain me. Congratulations.

_Thanks._

_Do you want a reward? The Witch asked arrogantly. _

_Some answers might be nice. DG replied sarcastically._

"_Very well." The Witch's spirit form appeared in a green evil looking woman. She looked tired. "You are powerful. But you know that."_

"_Yeah." _

"_Well, you aren't powerful right now. Your mother took it away." _

"_Yeah. It hurt like a bitch too." _

"_I can imagine. It probably hurt more than when you killed me." _

"_I had to, you know."_

"_I know. But I didn't start out like that. When I was just a sorceress, I was respected. But everything went down hill when the Emerald started to appear. I took and felt the power I could get from it. Even though I knew it was bad, I used it and killed a lot of people." _

"_I can't see it from your point of view. You're still a murderer to me. I'm sorry." _

"_I had expected it. It's okay. Now I wanted to tell you that you don't realize your potential. You have dark magic that overbears the light magic that your sister has. Trust me I know all about her magic and know what level she is at. Your sister is powerful but nowhere near what you were when I was defeated. Although I hate to admit it, you are more powerful than I could have been even with the Emerald at the Double Eclipse." _

"_Really?" She asked in disbelief. _

"_Really. You don't realize your potential, probably because of your mother and her controlling your life in every angle. It really wasn't fair to you. I don't know what she was thinking." _

"_I wonder that every time I got to sleep."  
"Well, when I saw you force me out of Azkadellia, I was surprised. I never expected an outsider to overpower me. But you did. You did. You are more powerful than even my most powerful allies."  
"I'll take that as a compliment." _

"_But! If we teamed up, we could have taken…"_

"_Enough, Witch." A voice boomed. It was the man who was the messenger for the OZ. "DorothyGale, do you see how powerful you were? Even the Witch was bested by you. You need to realize your potential. But don't be arrogant about it. That is not becoming to a princess. You need to realize that you should be confident in your abilities and not second-guess yourself. Tutor will teach you. He will help you go through your magic acsension safely and efficiently. And help your Tin Man go through the same. Are you ready for your next magic level?" _

"_Will it hurt as much?" She asked in fear. _

"_No. It won't hurt so much. But we will grant you 13 hours of sleep. Cain will be back from town by then and you can continue your journey." _

"_I accept the next part of my Magical Soul with full acceptance and relization of what is going on." He smiled and flicked his wrist in her general direction. A bright blue light slammed into her chest. Then everything faded into nothing. _

He followed the directions that one of the townspeople gave him to this Alex's house. He exhaled in anticipation and knocked on the door. A well-built man answered the door. He was dressed in a pair of pant and a black shirt. He could see the gun.

"Evening."

"Evening."

"My name is Wyatt Cain." The man sobered and stood up straight. He was leaning in the doorway.

"I've been waiting for you."

Well, wasn't that peachy.


	13. The Truth about the Queen

Cain walked into Alex's home and sat on one of the chairs in the living room.

"I was a body guard of DG's right after you left. I witnessed a lot of the stuff she went through. I thought your son would come after me. And pummel me."

"I am not going to fight you. I just want to know what is going on."

"Well, that's good. My wife would kill me if you did." Alex's eyes sparkled with humor.

"You were a bodyguard?" Cain asked.

"Yes. When I started, all I knew was I had to protect DG from outside forces. I never imagined some of the stuff I had to experience." He shook his head. "The Queen is the most conniving bitch I have ever had the displeasure of meeting."

"Really?"

"Yes. I wrote a diary of all that happened when I was there, as I do for all my jobs. My father had done the same before me and I followed that tradition." He got up and crossed the room to the small row of books on the wall. He pulled one off the shelf and handed it to Cain. "Keep it. Burn it after, I don't care. I don't want anything to do with the Queen anymore. You know she paid me 400?"

"A week?" Cain asked in disbelief.

"Yeah."

"Her country is in rebuild. She can't spend that much money on that!" Cain said incredulously.

"I know."

"What else do you know?"

"I don't know everything. You'll have to get that from DG. All I know is what I overheard. And one incident that I had to participate in."

"What happened?"

"Well, DG had been rebelling against her parents." Cain sighed inwardly. She was holding her own until they broke her. Good. "And the Queen ordered me into the room with the Princess, Queen and Prince Consort." He paused and avoided eye contact. "They had me hold DG's arms to her side and make sure she didn't move while they threw her art. Everything into the fireplace. She cried and thrashed and sobbed until she had nothing left. They burned everything. Her sneakers, her Otherside clothes, her pencils, her paper and all of her art that she made. They threw everything away. I had to hold her until she weakened and almost fell to her knees. Then the Queen spoke to her."

"What did she say?"

"She said, "Cain and Raw aren't coming back. Face it. You're alone here, until we marry you off after my darling daughter is married.' DG just nodded and the day after that she submitted to corsets and I quit."

Cain sat back, thinking back on all that Alex told him. Her mother burned the things that DG cared about most and crushed her dreams. And forbid her from seeing Cain and Raw. But why? Why would the Queen possibly want to control her daughter like that?

"Why did she do that to DG?" Cain asked quietly, flipping through the diary nonchalant.

"You gave her hope. But after you left, Raw got sent away. She didn't have anyone treat her like a person. She needed a form of freedom. She is strong. Took the Queen months to wear her down."

"Months?"

"Yeah, the princess is stronger than she looks. She endured a lot of tortures. It was amazing. But she shouldn't have had to go through that. She was so kind to the children and the people of the castle. She was very liked and Princess Azkadellia was getting involved with Ambrose and DG stopped her mother from sabotaging their relationship."

"They're engaged and Az's pregnant."

"At least they're happy."

"They are."

"Listen, Cain. There are lots of stuff I didn't see. She'll have to tell you about it. But the worst thing was when they burned her art. I could see your face burning in the fire. She couldn't stop drawing you. She kept having nightmares about you dying. It wasn't fair to you and it wasn't fair to her at all. She kept calling out your name in the middle of the night."

"Really?"

"Yes. It was heartbreaking. I quit soon after that. My wife was pregnant anyways." A woman dressed in a cotton robe walked down the stairs. Alex rose to greet his wife with a kiss on the forehead. Her eyes closed in contentment.

"Who is at the door?"

"It's Wyatt Cain."

"Princess DG?" It was kind of ironic that she associated those names with each other so quickly.

"She's out. She's safe. She is getting her friends back." The wife relaxed.

"Thank Ozma." Alex wrapped an arm around her waist and squeezed her ribs.

"How are you doing?"

"A little morning sickness. I am used to it. Don't worry." She pressed a kiss to his lips and retreated upstairs as she heard a baby's cry.

"That's my daughter Allison. She's got a pair of lungs on her." Alex said proudly.

"I got a son, jeb."

"Any relation to Jeb Cain, official bodyguard of DG Gale?"

"The very same."

"You must be proud."

"I am."

"I'll bet. My wife and I have no secrets. I hope you don't mind. Alyssa is very affectionate toward the Princess." Alex said cautiously.

"It's okay. She has that effect on people."

"She visited once when Lyss was pregnant. Snuck out with Jeb. She gave Alyssa a pink rattle. Said she made it herself." He laughed at the memory. "Alyssa was tickled pink."

"DG always thinks of others first, herself second."

"I can see that."

"It drives me crazy."

"I can tell." He could tell that Cain was very affectionate towards the younger Princess. And therefore more angry at her parents than Alex was.

"Well, Mr. Forge. Thank you for the book. I shall read it and help DG as much as I can."

"She might not admit it. But she missed you terribly. And she doesn't want you to hurt as much as she had. That streak of hers will get in the way of that."

"I am just as stubborn as her."

"Let's hope you're right."


	14. Presents! i love Presents!

He tucked the journal into the pocket of his jacket. He walked into the marketplace and stopped at a clothing booth. He picked up some clothes that he knew that DG would like. He picked up a few pairs of pants, a pair of shoes looking like her sneakers- she called them DC's (whatever those were), some shirts, a couple blue cotton dresses and a leather jacket. He knew she'd love it.

Then he stopped at the art center and picked up a lot of drawing paper and some pencils and paid the man and turned around. There was a woman who looked terribly familiar but he couldn't put his finger on it.

"Mr. Cain?" Her timid voice asked tearily.

"Yes?" He knew this woman so he would be nice to her.

"My name is Emily… I am…"

"DG's mother." He said in awe. This woman raised DG. "You must have nerves of steel to deal with her growing up. I don't even want to picture it." Emily laughed softly.

"Is she okay?"

"She'll be okay." He said seriously. "They tried to break her spirit. They almost did. But I came back and she's out of the castle now. We have to get her magic back. The Queen ripped it out of her."

"My baby girl." She whimpered. "Mr. Cain?"

"Yes?"

"Take care of her? Till we see her again?" He nodded. She looked at the packages in his hands. She sat on a bench nearby. He followed her. "Her favorite color was blue. Deep blue, like her eyes. She wore a deep blue dress to Prom, which is this big party that the students have. She was so excited. She loves motorcycles. She fixed up one for her 18th birthday."

"A motorcycle?"

"It's like a rocket on wheels." He nodded in understanding, but if he ever saw her on one of those he might have a conniption fit. "She drew so much. She loves it. She always had a liking for summer dresses in the summer. She likes fabric she can breathe in. I remember when she had her first heartbreak. I remember when she used to get scared because of storms. I remember when she used to help me make breakfast. She helped her father in the garage fixing whatever she could get her hands on. The Queen told us she didn't want to see us anymore because we lied to her. I understood but that didn't take any of the pain away." Cain's eyes practically watered up. He realized where she was coming from. He felt the same way about Jeb. He knew what it meant to have your child ripped from you, lying about it and then not knowing. The worst part was not knowing.

"She wants to see you. She misses you a lot. She was told that you didn't want to see her."

"That's not true!"

"The Queen has manipulated a lot of people to get DG isolated so she could control her. But DG is coming back to her old personality. By the time you see her again, she'll probably be the little girl you remember."

"Yeah." She sombered.

"Emily!" a voice called. She looked up.

"Take care of my daughter, Wyatt Cain." She said seriously and walked off to find her husband.

Cain walked by a jewelry stand. One piece of jewelry stood out to him. He looked at the necklace that had caught his eye.

"Gift for your girl?" The woman said kindly.

"I am hoping she will be." He replied.

"Ah well. This is a beautiful piece. Only charge 12." He nodded and handed her the money and she wrapped it up. "Give to her as courting gift." She advised. He nodded. He saw another bracelet. It had a lot of multi-colored gems on it.

"Can I get that one too?"

"Very cheap. 6. Gift for girl who mean a lot."

"She isn't ready for courting. She was abused. I just want something to tell her I am sorry for not being there."

"I understand." He handed her the money and she handed him the jewelry in separate boxes. He bowed in gratitude and walked past the men's clothing and decided to get a couple shirts and another pair of pants. His arms were full of packages when he stopped at the Potion gallery.

"Need supplies? Got everything for trip!" He advertised.

"Yes. I need supplies for my group of 6 including myself." The man nodded and zoomed around his shack and collected the necessary ingredients for his order.

"25." He held his hand out expectantly. He handed him the money and took the bag. He got on his horse and uncomfortably rode back to camp with all his packages.

He was greeted by Raw when he entered the camp.

"Raw worried about Cain."

"I was fine, Fuzzy."

"DG worried too." Speaking of the Princess she zoomed through the camp and jumped into his arms. He fell back and landed on the ground with an 'oomph'.

"Hey there Princess."

"Tin Man. Where were you?" She said glaring at his face. He smiled at her personality coming out. She was coming out of her shell that she enclosed around herself when she was hurt so much by the people around her. Jeb was laughing at his father. He was tackled by a Princess and was succumbed by the blue vortexes that were DG's deep blue orbs.

"I was getting supplies." He answered.

"Yeah? Like that's a good excuse?" She rolled her eyes sarcastically. She was sooo lucky that he liked her or he would find this behavior unacceptable. But this was DG so it was okay.

"I brought your presents." He said to butter her up. And it worked. Her eyes gleamed happily.

"Presents?"

"Yes."

"I like presents." She said happily and got off him enough so he could sit up and sort through the packages that fell when she tackled him. He sat her in between his legs. Luckily he put the courting necklace in the horse's saddle so she wouldn't see it.

"Did you sleep okay?" He asked setting the package in front of her and smiled when she completely mutilated the brown paper holding the dresses. She gasped and leaned back against his chest.

"They're beautiful." She turned her head and locked eyes with him. "And I slept better than I have in months. Thank you." He kissed the side of her head. She smiled brightly. Raw put another package in front of her. They had all gathered around DG and showered her with some much-deserved attention. She loved getting presents apparently.

She ripped the next package to shreds too but that package included the jeans, shirts and the leather jacket. She gasped and put on the leather jacket right away.

"I love it."

"I noticed yours is getting old. You'll love the fabric. It keeps you warmer than that one and it breathes when it's hot out. One of the OZ's many marvelous creations that outdo the Otherside." He watched Raw set up the bulky present that held her sneakers. She opened it and gasped.

"How did you know?"

"I'm amazing." He said in an obvious tone.

"Obviously. I am so sorry that I was mistaken."

"Its okay. I have one more." He grabbed the box and wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him so she was sitting on his lap, with her back against his chest, so there was no room between them. He opened his large hands and she squealed when she saw the box.

She opened it. She gasped and fingered the piece of jewelry.

"It's so pretttyy." She said in awe. He rested his chin on her shoulder.

"I'm glad your like it." She turned her head and kissed his cheek. She blushed prettily. He chuckled. He helped her up. Raw handed her a square package, she looked at it confused and looked at Cain.

"This is not just from me, sweetheart. This is from all of us." She held out her wrist and handed him the bracelet. He smiled and put the piece of jewelry around her slender wrist. It was a perfect fit.

She unwrapped it and saw the paper and pencils. She dropped them in shock.

"You okay?" He asked tenitively. She ran at him again but this time he was prepared for it. She hugged him so tight.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She squealed excitedly. He got a little bit of that spark back in her orbs.

"Your welcome." He said kindly as he could. He hated how his soft spot would be this little bundle of fun right here.

She skipped off into her tent and Jeb looked at his father with something in his eyes that Cain had to raise a skeptical eyebrow at.

"You love her."

"Yeah. It's my obligation as a citizen to love the people who rule us,"

"Yeah but not every bodyguard that she had falls in love with her." Jeb retorted. Damn it. His father was too stubborn to see reason. He watched as they interacted. One of them was going to crack eventually. He bet his father would crack first.


End file.
